Delhi to Kathmandu holiday

Planet

We travel by train for much of this trip so not only do we get to rub shoulders with the locals, but we avoid flying and using privately chartered road transport for much of the journey. This means our carbon footprint is less than it might be and the environmental impact is kept to a minimum. We also spend a couple of days sailing along the Ganges in boats provided by local villagers, camping on a beach by the river and ensuring that any rubbish is taken with us and disposed of properly. On these days we only use the power of the wind to transport us, and we use no electricity at all.

While in Nepal we visit Chitwan National Park which has a long history of biodiversity conservation, and the government and the local community work closely together to maintain and protect the park’s wildlife and flora. We take game drives by jeep instead of on elephant back, and ensure we strictly abide by park regulations to minimise disruption to the wildlife we have come to see.

As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.

People

We use knowledgeable Indian and Nepalese tour leaders with a strong love for their country's culture and traditions, and a desire to share the wonders of their homeland with travellers. As an investment both in their future and ours, we run an annual dedicated training course for them, a strong focus of which is to raise their awareness of responsible tourism practices so they can ensure that our tours run in accordance with our code of practice. For example, at the start of each trip they are able to provide guidance concerning local customs and culture so as to ensure that local sensibilities are respected.

Where possible, we use independently run and locally-owned accommodation to ensure that the income generated from our visit is spread amongst the community.

In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our UK Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.